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3 Reasons Why Your Church Needs a Missions Committee

Whether the word committee makes your cringe or cheer, your church needs a dedicated group of people to focus on global missions. Photo by TEAM

Jan 19 2017

It’s easy to assume someone at your church will do mission work. After all, isn’t the church charged with the Great Commission as one of Jesus’ last commands on earth? But the reality is, living in obedience to God’s mission takes intentionality. Having point people focus on how the church is called to share the gospel, send new missionaries and care for sent ones is critical to any congregation. In many churches, this group of people is called the missions committee. Whether your church loves committees or feels like the word is old-fashioned, there is just something effective about a group…

Having a clear church missions strategy leads to more meaningful and effective ministry. So why don’t 40 percent of churches have one? Photo by TEAM

Nov 23 2016

A recent survey suggested that 40 percent of evangelical churches in America don’t have a written strategy guiding their missions work. The survey also suggested that the 60 percent of churches that do have a written strategy are markedly more engaged in international work than those without a written strategy. This shouldn’t surprise us. A vision doesn’t always spark action, but it’s still true that action nearly always follows vision. If you need help developing a mission strategy, these pointers might be helpful, or you could subscribe to our monthly missions resource for churches. But before you get there, it’s worth…

Church leaders, you are key players in preparing a potential missionary for cross-cultural service. Here are actionable steps to shepherding missionaries in your church. Photo by TEAM

Sep 13 2016

Someone comes to you, their pastor, and says they feel called to ministry. That’s awesome! But what can your church do from there? The temptation could be to send potential missionaries from your church to a missions agency and let the organization take care of the rest. While agencies have valuable resources for churches, many agencies agree: The local church is the one God has called and equipped to fulfill the Great Commission. That means the church gets to play an important role in assessing and preparing missionary candidates for global ministry. Below are four areas where church participation and support…

Building a global missions strategy is not about a bigger budget. It's about greater intention. Read five ways to your church can create a successful missions strategy. Photo by TEAM

Jun 08 2016

Your church probably doesn’t have a global missions strategy. And sadly, you aren’t alone. The truth is that most churches don’t have a strategy for their global involvement. As a result, many simply aren’t engaged overseas. Those who are are more likely to answer a question about their strategy by telling you how big their “missions budget” is. Whether your church gives $500 or $1 million per year to missions, the real question isn’t how much you’re giving, but how you’re giving it. There are lots of ways to build a great global missions strategy. For now, I’d like to…

In cultures where the group is more highly valued than the individual, envy can occur when the status quo is threatened. Missionaries from an individualistic culture need to be mindful of these differences and how they affect their ministry. Photo by TEAM

May 18 2016

Have you ever thought about how envy plays out in culture? In Western capitalistic societies we do not usually think about envy, though it is a universal human emotion. Many people in the Majority World take steps to avoid becoming the target of envy. Being envied (or perceived as envious) carries significant social, and sometimes material cost. Envy is a feeling of disappointment or ill-will at the advancement of another person in happiness, success, reputation or the possession of anything desirable. It can be characterized by “I wish I had what you have,” or more intensely by “I wish you did not have what…

Finances are just one of many ways that you can be supporting missionaries around the world.

Mar 01 2016

This post is the third in a three-part series exploring the role of the sending church in missions. Catch Part I and Part II here. The following is an excerpt from The Sending Church Defined, written by Upstream Collective. It can be purchased in print. A Sending Church is a local community of Christ-followers who have made a covenant together to be prayerful, deliberate, and proactive in developing, commissioning, and sending their own members both locally and globally, often in partnership with other churches or agencies, and continuing to encourage, support, and advocate for them while making disciples cross-culturally. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for…

Prayer is not merely the entry point of missions in a sending church. It’s the foundation for every element of sending. Photo by TEAM

Feb 25 2016

This post is the second in a three-part series exploring the role of the sending church in missions. Read Part I or Part III. The following is an excerpt from The Sending Church Defined, written by Upstream Collective. It can be purchased in print. While at a secret meeting with house church leaders in an intensely persecuted region of China, missiologist Nik Ripken was asked a peculiar question: “Are the believers [in other countries] persecuted like we are?” Ripken answered yes, describing the kind of persecution taking place in two Middle Eastern countries. The group became eerily silent. Early the next morning Ripken was jarred…

The sending church, not missions agencies, send missionaries. So what does it mean to be sent?

Feb 22 2016

This post is the first in a three-part series exploring the role of the sending church in missions. Skip ahead to Part II or Part III here. The following is an excerpt from The Sending Church Defined, written by Upstream Collective. It can be downloaded as a free e-book or purchased in print. Nothing Moves Without Being Sent What makes you go? Not in the “Go, therefore” or “Daddy, I gotta go!” sense, but just at the most basic level. Go. Move. Do something. Your brain sends signals to your body and it stands. Pretty simple, you know, except for the dozens of muscles…

Your supporting church is spiritually and financially investing in your short-term missions trip. Here's tips on how you can support them, too. Photo by TEAM

Jan 26 2016

As a logistics coordinator for short-term missions, I am constantly encouraged by the faith of the missionaries I work with. Recently, a short-term missionary I am working with came to me with one of the most beautiful questions I’ve been asked during my time with TEAM: “How can I bless my supporting church through my mission trip?” My heart soared. Here at TEAM, one of our highest values is the church from beginning to end. We engage existing churches in cooperative efforts to establish new reproducing churches worldwide. It is encouraging to know our short-term missionaries are just as passionate about strengthening the church as we are….

We are desperately in need of a more nuanced conversation around the topics of local and global mission. Photo courtesy of Melissa Barber

Sep 04 2015

Mission agencies like TEAM exist because of our conviction that mission is incomplete if it ignores those beyond our immediate geographic reach. A critical aspect of the agency’s task within the church is to remind the larger community of far-flung needs that might otherwise be forgotten. We have beaten this drum loudly and persistently. In our passion to keep the global unreached in the North American church’s vision, however, we have sometimes encouraged the belief that international mission is of a higher order than domestic mission. We have inadvertently created the belief that international missionaries are the hardcore, the totally committed,…

Tag - missions strategy

3 Reasons Why Your Church Needs a Missions Committee

4 Myths That Keep Your Church From Having a Missions Strategy

4 Ways Pastors Can Prepare Future Missionaries [Free Resource]

How to Develop a Church Missions Strategy That Works

Why the Missionary Must Consider Envy

Supporting Missionaries is More Than Writing a Check

To Send Missionaries is to Pray

What Does it Mean to be Sent?

How to Support Your Supporting Church

Why Local and Global Missions Need Each Other